Fresh injury worry puts Nick Kyrgios’ Australian Open return in doubt

Nick Kyrgios threw fresh doubt on whether he will play in the Australian Open after withdrawing from an exhibition match.

The Australian, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2022, returned to action in Brisbane last week after playing only one singles match since October 2022 following knee and wrist surgeries.

He had been due to play in the exhibition alongside Novak Djokovic on Thursday but has withdrawn because of an abdominal injury.

Announcing his withdrawal on Instagram, the 29-year-old said an ultrasound had revealed a grade one strain.

He said he would be “resting and doing everything I can to be OK by the AusOpen” which begins on Sunday.

Kyrgios lost in the first round in Brisbane to big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, as well as teaming up with Djokovic in the doubles, after which he said he “felt like I had been hit by a bus”.

“I think I almost need a miracle, and I need the stars to align for my wrist to hold up in a grand slam, for sure,” he said after his singles defeat.

“For my wrist, it’s all new ground now. It’s very sore… we were expecting that. Today is another building block in the journey.”

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley expected Kyrgios to play in Melbourne, and he thought the withdrawal was “precautionary.”